Poet and activist Maya Angelou passed away today, and to contextualize just how much the loss means to the literary community, we reached out to Jamaica Plain resident poet-at-arms Donald Vincent.

As a kid growing up in Southeast, Washington, DC, my favorite month during the school year was February. Not just because it was the shortest month of the calendar year, but because it was Black History Month. It was the time we held our annual assembly where different classes and grades paid homage to our ancestors. It was also a time (one of the few I might add) that I learned about people who shared the same skin color as me—the same story, the same obstacles.

Because of Black History Month, I learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Frederick Douglas, Ben Carson, and George Washington Carver. I was also introduced to the work of our recently deceased literary icon Maya Angelou. Her life’s journey showed me that we, as beings, are able to rise above all matters when there’s a will.

In this very digital age, I found about her passing on Twitter. I quickly checked Google to verify, and when a credible source’s headline read that she died at 86, my heart felt heavy. We tend to mourn over public figures a lot as a part of our human nature. But we shouldn’t stop at mourning. We need to carry on the torch as artists, as spokespersons, as people. While my timelines are flooded with quotes, photos, and a mixture of disgust of people’s public admiration and sadness, we must remember that her song will continue to play through our hearts. Even though America has lost a central figure to its civil rights movement, we must remember, like the free bird, that we need to keep rising.

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Seeing the Alvin Ailey company for the first time a decade and a half ago changed my perspective on modern dance and the arts. In the years since, I’ve tried to make it a point to see their productions whenever they come to town. I’m especially excited for this year’s run, as I had dancer, choreographer, and company veteran Matthew Rushing in studio to talk about the Alvin Ailey experience, life in dance, and ODETTA–his tribute to the legendary folk singer and civil rights activist Odetta Holmes. Click here for tickets and information, and click through to hear my chat with Matthew. More